I am writing in response to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander's
response to the Stanbrook editorial.

I would like to challenge several of the minister's assertions
regarding the changes to refugee health coverage since the Harper
government 'reforms'. Firstly, the oft-repeated untruth regarding IFHB
providing refugee claimants with health coverage superior to that of tax-
paying Canadians. This is simply, u...

I am writing in response to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander's
response to the Stanbrook editorial.

I would like to challenge several of the minister's assertions
regarding the changes to refugee health coverage since the Harper
government 'reforms'. Firstly, the oft-repeated untruth regarding IFHB
providing refugee claimants with health coverage superior to that of tax-
paying Canadians. This is simply, untrue.

Secondly the belief of the Harper government that they have prevented
'bogus' refugee claimants from 'taking advantage of Canadian generosity'.
To refute this assertion, I would ask the minister whether he has ever
met, or talked to a refugee claimant from Mexico, whose child has been
abducted by members of a drug cartel, and whose life has been threatened
if she pursues legal action. She arrives in Canada suffering from severe
Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mexico, in the wisdom of
the Harper government and CIC, is a so-called 'safe country' or DCO, and
therefore one from which only 'bogus' refugees flee. Such a claimant,
deemed 'bogus' in the wisdom of the Harper government, has had, until
recently, no access to needed health care services. She is typical of the
'bogus' refugee claimants targeted by the changes. The Ontario government
stepped in and did the truly ethical and responsible thing, that of
supporting the many refugee claimants deprived of deserved care by the
Harper ideologues. Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews deserves praise
for taking the right, if not politically expedient, action. Lastly, the
money saved by the draconian actions of the Harper government. Most
health care providers feared an increase in health costs to the system,
due to delayed timely access of primary, secondary and preventative care.
It is fair to say that we cannot, at this time, know the actual costs,
although to most of us working in the field, this is intuitively obvious.

When Minister Alexander announces that the IFHB reforms have saved the
Canadian taxpayer $600 million, one can only ask:'From where does he draw
such a statistic?'.

Conflict of Interest:

How much money has organizations like Canadian Doctors for Refugee
Care raised for our refugees who need medical care? I know that setting up
a charity can be a huge undertaking, so how about we lobby larger medial
organizations like the CMA to take a real stand and put some real work
into its stances?

Respectfully, I'm sure the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care has many
members. As doctors in Canada we are pri...

How much money has organizations like Canadian Doctors for Refugee
Care raised for our refugees who need medical care? I know that setting up
a charity can be a huge undertaking, so how about we lobby larger medial
organizations like the CMA to take a real stand and put some real work
into its stances?

Respectfully, I'm sure the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care has many
members. As doctors in Canada we are privileged to not be in want of more
money. How many of these members will sign a public pledge saying that
they will refuse to charge any fee for refugee claimants? How many have
put pressure on their own hospitals to treat refugee claimants free of
charge?

I suspect that to the general public, all they see if a bunch of rich
doctors asking for other people to put up more money. That isn't a great
image. Lobbying the government is good, but I think what will get the
public join our cause is when we put our money where our mouths are. I
would humbly suggest that Health Advocacy demands that we as doctors set
the example in our own lives. A huge challenge to be sure, but one that
is noble and worthwhile.

Doctors are frequently admonishing the public about bad eating habits
and obesity. How much have we as a group publicly demonstrated healthy
living in our lives? How many physicians are obese? How many smoke? How
many never exercise?

Recently we have seen doctors loudly advocate for safe cell phone use
in cars. Yet doctors are probably the worst when it comes to using cell
phones while driving. When will we demand higher standards for ourselves,
before we demand it of others?

Conflict of Interest:

Minister Chris Alexander's letter in response to Dr. Stanbrook's
editorial is filled with the same inaccuracies that have characterized the
Federal government's public statements since the beginning.

Minister Alexander states that all "genuine refugees in Canada
receive primary health coverage". Not true. He knows that refugee
claimants are not initially deemed as failed or successful claimants in
need of prot...

Minister Chris Alexander's letter in response to Dr. Stanbrook's
editorial is filled with the same inaccuracies that have characterized the
Federal government's public statements since the beginning.

Minister Alexander states that all "genuine refugees in Canada
receive primary health coverage". Not true. He knows that refugee
claimants are not initially deemed as failed or successful claimants in
need of protection until they have had their refugee hearing. Until then,
many are not receiving access to primary and preventive care and some have
no insurance in their first few weeks in Canada, placing communities at
risk of preventable infectious diseases.

Minister Alexander states that asylum seekers are not entitled to
"more generous benefits than Canadian taxpayers and legal immigrants". The
Minister knows that refugee claimants are lawfully within our borders,
following the rules and so are perfectly "legal". He should know from the
website of his own department that, under the previous system, claimants
were receiving coverage that is identical to what low-income Canadians
receive through social assistance programs.

Minister Alexander has publicly suggested that doctors are misleading
Canadians. The Canadian Medical Association and other national health
profession bodies have expressed concerns about these cuts. Minister
Alexander's office has failed to respond to a request for a meeting from
the leadership of these organizations and he continues to ignore a request
from Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care to publicly debate these issues.

Minister Alexander, a former Canadian diplomat in Afghanistan, can do
better than respond to the suffering of people fleeing persecution with a
misinformation campaign.

I'd like to address some of the inaccurate and misleading assertions
made by Dr. Stanbrook in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in the
recent article Canada owes refugees adequate health coverage.

The author states "...that the cuts to health coverage have, in
particular, denied refugees access to primary and preventive care." That
is absolutely false. All genuine refugees in Canada...

I'd like to address some of the inaccurate and misleading assertions
made by Dr. Stanbrook in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in the
recent article Canada owes refugees adequate health coverage.

The author states "...that the cuts to health coverage have, in
particular, denied refugees access to primary and preventive care." That
is absolutely false. All genuine refugees in Canada receive primary health
care coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) that is
similar to that received under provincial/territorial health-care
programs.

Underlying the decision to reform the IFHP was the principle that
asylum seekers are not entitled to more generous benefits than Canadians
taxpayers and legal immigrants receive.

Canada is second to none in its generosity and fairness towards
newcomers, as demonstrated by our world-leading refugee resettlement
system. But we have no tolerance for those who take advantage of our
generosity.

Recent changes to the IFHP ensure that rejected asylum claimants no
longer receive tax-payer funded benefits that are more generous than those
provided to Canadians.

With the recent reforms of the IFHP and Canada's new asylum system,
genuine refugees are getting the protection they need sooner. Failed
asylum claimants with unfounded claims are being removed more quickly. And
Canadian taxpayers' generosity is no longer being abused.